Thanks for this comment, and thanks to Nadia for writing the post, I’m really happy to see it up on the forum!
Chris and I wrote the guidance for reading groups and early entrants to the field; this was partly because we felt that new folks are most likely to feel stuck/intimidated/forced-into-deference/etc. and because it’s where we most often found ourselves repeating the same advice over and over.
I think there are people whose opinions I respect who would disagree with the guidance in a few ways:
We recommend a few kinds of interpersonal interventions, and some people think this is a poor way to manage information hazards, and the community should aim to have much more explicit / regimented policies
We recommend quite a bit of caution about information hazards, which more conservative people might consider an attention hazard in and of itself (drawing attention to the fact that information that would enable harm could be generated)
We recommend quite a bit of caution about information hazards, which less conservative people might consider too encouraging of deference or secrecy (e.g. people who have run into more trouble doing successful advocacy or recruiting/fostering talent, people who have different models of infohazard dyanmics, people who are worried that a lack of transparency worsens the community’s prioritization)
We don’t cover a lot of common scenarios, as Nadia noted in her comment
(Side note: it’s always both flattering and confusing to be considered a “senior member” of this community. I suppose it’s true, because EA is very young, but I have many collaborators and colleagues who have decade(s) of experience working full-time on biorisk reduction, which I most certainly do not.)
(Side note: it’s always both flattering and confusing to be considered a “senior member” of this community. I suppose it’s true, because EA is very young, but I have many collaborators and colleagues who have decade(s) of experience working full-time on biorisk reduction, which I most certainly do not.)
I think part of this is that you are quite active on the forum, give talks at conferences, etc., making you much more visible to newcomers in the field. Others in biosecurity have decades of experience but are less visible to newcomers. Thus, it is understandable to infer that you are a “senior member.”
Thanks for this comment, and thanks to Nadia for writing the post, I’m really happy to see it up on the forum!
Chris and I wrote the guidance for reading groups and early entrants to the field; this was partly because we felt that new folks are most likely to feel stuck/intimidated/forced-into-deference/etc. and because it’s where we most often found ourselves repeating the same advice over and over.
I think there are people whose opinions I respect who would disagree with the guidance in a few ways:
We recommend a few kinds of interpersonal interventions, and some people think this is a poor way to manage information hazards, and the community should aim to have much more explicit / regimented policies
We recommend quite a bit of caution about information hazards, which more conservative people might consider an attention hazard in and of itself (drawing attention to the fact that information that would enable harm could be generated)
We recommend quite a bit of caution about information hazards, which less conservative people might consider too encouraging of deference or secrecy (e.g. people who have run into more trouble doing successful advocacy or recruiting/fostering talent, people who have different models of infohazard dyanmics, people who are worried that a lack of transparency worsens the community’s prioritization)
We don’t cover a lot of common scenarios, as Nadia noted in her comment
(Side note: it’s always both flattering and confusing to be considered a “senior member” of this community. I suppose it’s true, because EA is very young, but I have many collaborators and colleagues who have decade(s) of experience working full-time on biorisk reduction, which I most certainly do not.)
I think part of this is that you are quite active on the forum, give talks at conferences, etc., making you much more visible to newcomers in the field. Others in biosecurity have decades of experience but are less visible to newcomers. Thus, it is understandable to infer that you are a “senior member.”
Thanks, really helpful context!
Looking around and realizing you’re the grown up now can be startling. When did I sign up for this responsibility????